Friday, June 13, 2014

Queen's Speech Debate.

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for calling me to speak.
This is the first time that I have been called in a debate on the
Gracious Speech since being elected as an MP in 2010, and since we are debating
the final Queen’s Speech in this Parliament before the next general election
perhaps it is the last occasion that I will have a chance to be called! Whether I have a further opportunity is a matter for the voters in Montgomeryshire next
May. Anyway, thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for calling me today.

The Prime Minister began his speech at the beginning of this
debate last Wednesday by telling the House that the most important task facing
the coalition Government during the next year is continuing the work of
restoring our economy. That is absolutely the right approach. There are 11
interesting and important Bills in the Queen’s Speech, but underpinning
everything that the coalition Government should focus on in the next year is
economic recovery.

While I emphasise the important aim in the Gracious Speech
of continuing in a determined way with the task of economic recovery, we should
acknowledge what has already been achieved. It is far more than many of us
would have expected and it has certainly defied the consistently dire
predictions that have been made by the Opposition during the past four years. Indeed, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor today listed some of those
predictions, which have all been shown to be completely false. In particular, the
falling levels of unemployment and the rising levels of employment have been
nothing short of miraculous. Only yesterday, the employment figures for May
were published. Unemployment fell by 161,000 in May. Since 2010, more than 2
million jobs have been created.

In May the number of unemployed people in my constituency
fell to 647—just 2.1% of the economically active—which is 270 fewer than a year
ago, and 33 fewer than in April. Those are astonishingly good figures, and they
are reflected in constituencies right across the UK.

Montgomeryshire is blessed with many dynamic small and
medium-sized enterprises across the range of sectors. Over the past few weeks I
have visited several of them, accompanied by Ministers from the Wales Office
team. We visited Sidoli, Invertec and T. Alun Jones in Welshpool, Makefast, Stagecraft,
Quartix and Trax in Newtown, and last Thursday I joined a celebration at Stadco
in Llanfyllin as that outstanding company received the Jaguar Land Rover
quality standard award. Those businesses, which are mainly in manufacturing,
are growing solidly, providing new jobs, creating apprentices, and demonstrating
their confidence in Britain and in the Government’s long-term economic plan.
The last thing they need is a national insurance jobs tax, which the shadow
Chancellor so studiously refused to rule out earlier today.

Over recent months the Opposition have made a lot of noise about the cost
of living—they have done so again today—as if Labour’s management of the
economy while they were in Government had nothing whatsoever to do with it. Experience teaches us that the
only way to create sustainable increases in wages is through the marketplace,
through the pressure created by competition for good, well-trained employees
who are willing to work. Therefore, it is absolutely right that the coalition
Government continue with their brilliantly successful economic plans all the
way up to the general election.

In the 20 seconds of my 4 minutes remaining I want to make a brief comment about the livestock industry. My constituency is rural and depends largely on livestock farming. Currently, the economy of my constituency is being seriously affected by what is happening to the beef industry. Beef prices have crashed following inflow of large amounts of imported beef. I have no problem with imported beef from Eastern Europe being on supermarket shelves, but I do think shoppers should know it is imported beef from Eastern Europe. The Government need to act to ensure that supermarkets accurately label imported beef with country of origin so that shoppers can make an informed choice.